Carpe Diem
by SeekerOwl523
Summary: AU New Moon. 5 years later and Edward did not return. Bella is different- more confident and poised. She travels to Rome, Italy where she visits the Colosseum, hoping to write a historical book on Rome. In the dark of night and with the witness of only the full moon and a dark-haired stranger, Bella is transported back in time to Ancient Rome… in the midst of the Third Servile War.
1. Prologue

"_Sometimes when you sacrifice something precious, you're not really losing it. You're just passing it on to someone else."_  
- Mitch Albom, _The Five People You Meet in Heaven_

It was a dark night on the quiet street of the small town. The moon was full and the light illuminated a lone woman standing at the end of the road.

The woman was wearing dark clothing with a hood pulled over her head, shadowing her face from the light. Dark brown, bone-straight hair peeked out from under her hood as she looked up at the moon above her. She stood still for a moment before a small whimper was heard, coming from the tiny bundle in her arms.

The woman shifted slightly, adjusting her arms so the baby in her arms lay on her chest. "Hush, my dear," she whispered, rocking the baby gently. "It'll be alright. Everything will be alright." The woman closed her eyes tightly as the lies slipped past her lips. She knew the baby in her arms would suffer before true happiness was found. It would be a long time before 'everything' would be alright again.

Glancing up at the moon, she said a quick prayer for the child in her arms before beginning to walk slowly down the short street. She knew she was only trying to prolong the inevitable. She tried to comfort herself that they would soon meet again even though it would feel like centuries before that day came. But she couldn't imagine this child growing up not knowing who she was- the true family she had. It was painful to think about.

Hugging the baby to her chest, she sped up before she could change her mind. Before she could run in the opposite direction- to a safe place where no one could find them.

The dark-haired woman stopped, coming to stand in front of the small white house. She sighed deeply, pressing her lips against the baby's forehead. A lone, traitorous tear fell on the child's head before she could stop it. She wrapped the baby tighter in the brown blanket surrounding her.

The woman slowly walked up to the door. She placed the baby on the cold, wet stone in front of the door before standing up to ring the doorbell. Her finger paused on the button, looking down at the baby, memorizing her features. She wiped her cheeks of any tears before pressing the button.

"Goodbye, darling," she whispered to the baby before disappearing off the front step.

A second later, the door opened to reveal a young woman no older than 20 with brown hair and blue eyes. She gazed out onto the dark street confused before hearing the small whine from the baby below her. She gasped, rushing to pick up the small child. She clumsily adjusted the baby in her arms, gazing out onto the street although she had a feeling the person who left this precious child would not appear.

Hearing the baby whine again, the young woman comfortingly shushed it, looking down. Furrowing her eyebrows, she brought her thumb up to wipe away the golden liquid on the baby's forehead.

Gazing out into the dark street again, she rocked the baby gently before softly closing the door.

Watching from a distance was the dark-haired woman, another tear running down her cheek. She gazed up at the moon, watching as the dark clouds pulled over slowly to block the illuminating light. She turned slightly to look longingly at the white house.

"I'll see you soon, my sweet," she said. The clouds blocked the moon fully, plunging the street into darkness. Once the clouds were gone, so was she.

**Review Please!**


	2. Chapter One

**I wanted to post the prologue first and see what kind of reception I got and it's been really good so far! This story will mostly involve Bella- I'm not even sure I'm going to include the Cullens since the time period our dear Bella shall be traveling, none of them were even alive.**

**I've recently been inspired by Ancient Rome and I love historical fiction so I wanted to try my hand in it. I've also wanted to write some Twilight fanfiction since I read so much of it and I decided to meld my ideas together.**

**There shall be romance in this fanfic, but I will not reveal who Bella is paired with. I love hearing guesses though! **

**Not much happens in this chapter except Bella reminiscing about the past and settling into Rome. I hope you enjoy!**

**P.S. If you don't know 'carpe diem' is Latin for 'seize the day'. It's a motto Bella now lives by.**

"_Carpe diem! Rejoice while you are alive; enjoy the day; live life to the fullest; make the most of what you have. It is later than you think."_

Horace, Ancient Roman Poet (65 BC- 8 BC)

Bella bit her lip as she settled herself into her airplane seat. Even with all the years that had past, she had never gotten out of that habit. That was the only thing that hadn't changed about her- or _improved_ about her, she should say.

5 years can change a person, she learned. Thinking back to the beautiful, eternally the same, family she loved, Bella couldn't help but be thankful. While it was bittersweet memories, they introduced her to a world she never thought existed and she would be forever grateful to them even when that world was cruelly ripped away from her before she got to know it.

But she had changed from the naïve 18-year-old girl she had once been. And thinking about the eternally handsome 17-year-old boy she once loved, she resolved that she couldn't live that life. Stuck in the same limbo, constantly connected to the human world yet only able to watch from inside fogged glass as they passed you by- Bella couldn't think of anything more painful.

After that ill-fated birthday party and Edward leaving her, Bella was crushed. Not only because the boy she loved had apparently moved on, but the family she cherished as well. It took her own strength and support from her father to dig herself out of the imagined grave she had lay in. She changed- she was stronger and more self-assured than she had ever imagined she could be.

Bella was different now. She resolved that were Edward and his family to return right now, she would not return to them. She had forgiven their abandonment a long time ago- letting the past be the past-, but it wasn't the same. _She_ wasn't the same. She wanted to live life to the fullest and experience new wonders with innocent, human eyes. She did not wish to have eyes that had seen a thousand sufferings.

Bella shook her head. She had an old knack for reminiscing about the past. But the past was behind her. And hopefully a successful tour of Rome, Italy was in her future.

After pulling herself and her grades together for the end of senior year, Bella endeavored to study History and Classic Studies at University of Washington. She was lucky enough to get an academic scholarship. Thinking about what the Cullens had seen and heard as history happened around them had interested Bella. She wanted to learn more about history to a deeper depth and a longer range, going back all the way to Ancient Roman History. The complex world of gladiators interested her and she booked a private tour of the Colosseum in Rome.

Bella hoped to write a historical book on her studies in Rome. Not the kind of book she thought she would write 5 years ago, but now it was the book she _desired_ to write. It just felt… right.

Speaking of historical books, Bella looked back down to the book in her hands: _The Spartacus War_ by Barry S. Strauss. The story of Spartacus absolutely amazed her; the fact that a single gladiator could rally up thousands of people to follow him dumbfounded her. But they weren't exactly a united people, the rebels, and that was their ultimate downfall. Bella wanted to dwell on the complexity of gladiators. Many people thought gladiators were great warriors and they were, but they were slaves more than anything and Bella wanted to learn more about that.

Bella finally released her lip from her teeth as the pilot came over the intercom, telling the passengers to enjoy the flight and buckle up for lift off. _Finally_, she thought. Although she was excited to arrive in Italy, she was not looking forward to the 16 hour flight, including the layover in New York. She thought ahead and brought multiple books with her to entertain herself.

Lying back in her seat and burying her nose in her book, she settled in for a long flight.

Bella hauled her bag onto her back, happy to be off the plane and finally in Italy. It was different than she imagined. Very rustic- yet beautiful- and busy with people talking in many different languages. Bella was happy she took Italian in college, but if she had known it was this diverse she would have taken a few more classes in different languages. Of course she learned some Latin for studies sake, but no one speaks that language anymore.

Fighting her way through the crowd, Bella quickly picked up a complementary map of Rome, Italy. Even now, she could not read a map to save her life. Maybe it was better to just haul a cab and let the driver do the work…

Nodding to her decision mentally, Bella turned around quickly to catch a taxi outside- only to run into a very hard, very solid wall of flesh.

"_Mi dispiace tanto._" Bella apologized immediately. Not even minutes into the city and already running into someone. Bella hoped, illogically, that the clumsiness she had worked out of with yoga didn't come back due to crossing the ocean. The Fiumicino Airport had to be one of the busiest airports she had ever been in. She was bound to run into someone.

Bella looked up, still stuttering some excuse of not looking where she was going, only to stop immediately and her mouth to dry up. Standing in front of her was one of the most handsome men she had ever seen, even rivaling a certain vampire. She considered this strange since the man in front of her had to be a warm-blooded human with healthy, tan skin and light blue eyes.

The man smiled down at her (as he stood at about 6'), strands of his sun-kissed, blonde hair falling into his eyes. "_Non c'è bisogno di scuse, bella,"_ he said, his smooth Italian accent almost curving and flowing around the words. "_Temo che non stavo guardando dove andavo._" _**(No need for apologies, beautiful. I'm afraid I wasn't looking where I was going.)**_

Bella blushed- another cursed trait she could never run very far from- and looked down, her hair falling into her eyes. She awkwardly adjusted the duffel bag on her back, not knowing how to respond. Finally, she settled with, "_Errore comune. Soprattutto in una zona così trafficata._" _**(Common mistake. Especially in such a busy area.)**_Bella couldn't help but look around in awe at all the people. She lived in the city before, but this was something different altogether.

The man before her chuckled at her expression. "_Prima volta in Italia?_" _**(First time in Italy?)**_ Bella paused to answer, almost dumbstruck by the silkiness of his laugh. It seemed she was experiencing the Italian charm early into her travels.

"_Sì. Ho intenzione di visitare varie parti di Roma. A proposito del quale, probabilmente dovrei ottenere risolta nel mio albergo. Il volo è stato lungo e faticoso e che deve essere completamente riposato prima di touring,_" Bella replied, glancing behind her towards the door._** (Yes. I plan to tour various parts of Rome. Speaking of which, I should probably get settled in my hotel. The flight was long and tiring and I should be fully rested before touring.) **_It was late afternoon and if Rome was anything like the cities she previously lived in, traffic would be horrendous.

"_Beh, spero che il vostro soggiorno in questa grande città,"_ he replied, nodding politely, before turning and walking away before Bella could reply. _**(Well, I hope you enjoy your stay in this great city.)**_

_Well that wasn't strange at all_, Bella thought to herself. Choosing not to dwell on the handsome man, Bella adjusted the bag on her back once again (thinking to get a rolling suitcase next time she travelled) before walking outside to catch a taxi to Hotel Brasile.

Bella sighed audibly as she put her bag down on the floor, appreciating the warm yellows and browns of her room. She slipped off her shoes, rubbing her aching toes in the soft carpet. She walked towards the window near the bed, gazing at the business of the Italian streets. Tomorrow she would be one of the people facing the business of the streets. Tomorrow hopefully she would expand her knowledge of the Colosseum and the lives of gladiators. Tomorrow she would.

But today she would sink into the tempting, soft bed behind her, unaware of the world for a few hours. Bella nodded to herself, agreeing with her mental thought. Not even bothering to pull back the sheets, Bella plopped on the bed, snuggling into its warmth. She was asleep before her head hit the pillow.

**Review please! The more reviews I receive, the faster I'll update!**


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